NEW DELHI, October 12 — The National Statistical Office (NSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), on Monday published the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for September 2026, revealing that headline retail inflation accelerated to 5.49 percent year-on-year, up from 3.65 percent in the preceding month.
According to the official statistical release, the sequential uptick was primarily driven by the Consumer Food Price Index (CFPI), which spiked to 9.24 percent compared to 5.66 percent in August. Disproportionate price surges across the vegetable sub-basket—specifically tomatoes, onions, and potatoes, which logged a combined 36 percent year-on-year inflation rate—stemmed from localized monsoon excess delaying field harvests and disrupting transit logistics across northern and western states.
Crucially, non-food, non-fuel 'Core Inflation' remained benign at 3.5 percent, demonstrating that underlying demand-side price pressures across industrial manufactured goods and services remain well-contained. The Reserve Bank of India reiterated that while seasonal food shocks warrant calibrated supply-chain management, winter crop arrivals are projected to pull headline inflation back toward the 4.0-4.5 percent trajectory.
Statistical methodologies of the Consumer Price Index (Combined, Base Year 2012=100 published monthly by NSO), the heavy weighting of Food & Beverages (45.86% of the national CPI basket), the distinction between Headline and Core inflation, and the statutory Flexible Inflation Targeting (FIT) regime under Section 45ZA of the RBI Act 1934 are core syllabus pillars for UPSC Civil Services (GS-III: Indian Economy) and RBI Grade B recruitment.